"All People are Idiots" - Scott Adams (Dilbert)

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The parallels are remarkable! The thing is, my Dad married my Mum, and had 2 kids, me and my sister. I am at the same age now as when my Dad was married, married my wife and have two kids of same age. So 40 years on, I have a direct comparison of life.

I’m on a Gold Coast holiday in Queensland, Australia. Holy Shit, I thought as I arrived, this is like Benidorm!! And I wondered where I was 40 years ago this year, err, Benidorm! Yep, World Cup year, 40 years ago, I was in Benidorm, Spain, during the World Cup. 40 years later, I’m with my kids, World Cup year, in the Gold Coast, Surfer’s Paradise, Australia.

What’s changed? The swimming pools are more landscaped and there’s a bit more shade!! Same people, Aussies in Australia, not Brits in Spain, and no Spanish waiters to play football against!

Now you’d think that the quality of life would have improved, but other than aircon and TVs in the room, not much has changed, except Factor 30 instead of frying oil. We are probably the first generation with an equal or lesser financial quality of life than our parents, and I was thinking how those package holidays of 40 years ago were all inclusive. “Like Club Med.” my wife said as I tried to explain 1970s package holidays, “Yeah, but at a fraction of the price.” Everything was inclusive then, except the drinks. Flights, hotel, transport to and from the hotel, food. The lot. I guess many of the package tour and airlines of that era went bust, so maybe it wasn’t such a good business, but surely it’s possible to still put low coast all inclusive holidays together, here in Queensland. Maybe it happens, but I haven’t heard anyone bragging about it.

The airlines would love it. The hotel and accommodation places would love it, the restaurants and food places wouldn’t love it, because that’s where the money is made now, charging us day after day for food and drinks.

But you know, kids are kids, and what they want is to be in the swimming pool all day, with their friends. Just like me 40 years ago. C’mon Ingerland to Go Aussie.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Do you think a state government, or federal government, or a world body/government can change things? No, neither do I! It’s so disappointing that in the current age of interconnectedness, we can’t effect change, even if we know we’re heading down the plughole.

"Global food production will need to double just to meet demand…..We have the knowledge and the technology to do this, as things stand, but the perfect storm of climate change, environmental degradation and water and oil scarcity, threatens our ability to succeed."

Our food supply system is based on the 1940s. Which politician is going to develop a 40 year plan to feed a country or the world?

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

At the margins what separates one identical cafe from another? Yesterday, feeling my post Landmark Advanced feeling, I thought I'd buy a Big Issue. Went into the cafe to get some change (I guess I could have given the Big Issue guy $20!!),

"Sorry, we don't give change!" So I walked out. But in my post Landmark mind, I turned back and into the cafe again. The guy wasn't there so I asked the person at the other till. He gave me the change. The other guy came back saw what was happening and admonished the guy who had given me the change. I explained to the first guy that I wanted the change to buy a copy of Big Issue. It still didn't register with him. I should have asked him why they don't give change.

Later on I realised that they should turn it on it's head.

WE GIVE CHANGE!

A big sign which distinguishes them from everyone else, and will probably lead to more business relative to the hassle of providing change. They're right next to one of the busiest rail stations in Melbourne. Massive passing traffic. I've a good mind to back to the cafe and speak to the owner or manager about making it a key thing to offer change to people. If people keep coming in demanding something, then isn't that an opportunity!

Sunday, February 20, 2005

If you love wine, or hate all the bollocks talked about wine, then this movie is for you!Sideways.
Saw it last night with Annie. What a great film, very funny and poignant.
It's a wine road movie!
Two men, contrasting styles, optimism and pessimism.
The wine glass is half empty, the wine glass is half fullIf you've had too many chick flicks, well here's a bloke joke.

Why don't films like this get made more often?
Why is the script and storyline in this so good, whilst other's get compromised?

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

I just had a Sumo Salad, on the opening day here in Melbourne. Rember when you first went into Pret a Manager, in the UK, and said, "Wow this is different", well I would be amazed if these guys don't have an Australian and world phenomenon on their hands.

Ever since I saw the name, I've been waiting for the place to open.

A sandwich is a sandwich? A salad is a salad? No, it's more than that, and these guys seem to have put together the complete package. Check it out, 385 Bourke St, food mall.

Thursday, October 14, 2004

There's a new diet which let's you eat anything, but you have to restrict yourself to 85 bites a day!
I counted the number of bites I had for dinner tonight and it came to over 30, and it was a small meal. Holy Shit! I'd starve with this regime. But then I thought about it, and realised that if I skipped breakfast tomorrow morning, I could buy a big bar of Toblerone and eat that until lunchtime!!

Sunday, June 27, 2004

Since that's what I think about most of the time, I might as well write about it as well. I was prompted by this entry, Disruption in the Food Industry, from one of my favourite weblogs. It's about how Kraft are struggling, with the change in eating habits of the consumer, and the major supermarket chains making it more and more difficult for the big food suppliers.
And it set me thinking about my eating habits, which have evolved over the years.
Up until about 1988, I'd eat anything, and lots of it. Probably because I was playing so much sport. I could burn it up. And I was young. And then with all this F-Plan dieting stuff around, I had a read of the Scarsdale Diet, and I still realise that most diets are pretty much the same, which is, eat less and lower your calorie intake and do more exercise. It's hardly rocket science. The question to solve, is what to do when you feel hungry, and this is where the diet books all differ.
Some fill you full of sawdust (F-Plan)
Some fill you full of fat (Atkins)
Some fill you full of fruit
Some fill you full of veg
Some tell you to eat less, Fat or Carb or Protein or Sugar or Grains
Some tell you to reframe your hunger (Allen Carr's EasyWeigh)
Some give you useful things to stop you thinking or eating food (Joe Mercola's No-Grain Diet with EFT)

But really it's all down to eat less than what you are eating (in calorific terms) and exercise more.
Whatever you're eating now, eat half of it. Simple really.
Of course I have a vast knowledge of health and diets, it's one of my pet subjects. If only people knew how much I know, as they scoff this and that, and talk about this and that diet or food. But I keep quiet.
I also don't practise, what I used to preach, so what's the point!!

Recently I was ill for a few weeks, with a cough and aches. I lost my appetite for a few days, which gave me an opportunity to get off the tea (and I don't drink coffee). Tea in itself isn't so bad (except for the headaches I was getting from not having tea!!), it's just that the tea set me up for wanting "Cake". Cut the tea, and I cut the cake!! So with no tea, I'm left only drinking, lemon and honey with hot water (just like my grandmother who lived until she was 93), green tea with roasted rice, and bottled water. Oh I can't resist one or two strong hot chocolate drinks when I'm having meetings in cafés each day, which tends to negate all the good I'm doing.

In the morning I have a Matzos, heavily buttered, and a banana. I'm not saying this is good and healthy, but it fills me up, and you know what, feels right. I've moved back to butter from margarine, over the last few years, figuring they're both as bad as each other, with margarine being more unnatural and therefore worse. I might also have an apple, or more Matzos. And a hot honey and lemon drink. I tend to have a hot chocolate drink during the morning, or a Peppermint tea, and at lunchtime I nearly always have two sushi rolls (a cooked tuna, and raw salmon) and a Miso soup, and maybe a bottle of water. Afternoon will probably be 1-2 Green Teas with roasted rice, maybe another Hot Chocolate if I have a meeting, and an apple or banana if I'm hungry. So far so good.

But then I get home and that's when it starts to go wrong!! I'll eat what Annie's cooked, which is usually a stir fry with meat/tuna and veg/rice, perfectly healthy, but I crave for something sweet after that, which usually ends up with biscuits ( a few custard creams this week) and then some dried apricots, and then an orange. And a Green Tea or Honey and Lemon drink.

What's clear to me is I don't drink enough water, which I was doing a few weeks ago. I'm not exercising at all, except for the walk to the trains. And I tend to snack more things at the weekend.
All in all I'm doing well, right now, and I've cut the cakes (except for the biscuits), I drink well (except for the Hot Chocolates and not enough water), and my cholesterol was rising a few months ago, but it's dropped back to normal (whatever normal is?).

Most eating is common sense, and we each know intrinsically what foods agree with us and what disagrees with us. I know right now that breakfast is working for me. It feels right. In fact the only things I'd change right now are, cut the Hot Chocolates, cut the evening biscuits, and drink more water.

Here are 10 top tips from everything I know and have learnt over the years. I of course don't follow or practise any of these:
1. Don't eat after 8-00pm,
2. Drink lots of water
3. Eat fruit, preferably organic
4. Fill yourself up with green veg (not rice or corn or potatoes)
5. Eat less
6. Reframe why you eat and what hunger is (see Allen Carr's EasyWeigh)
7. For most people, cut the Carb and Sugar, but not in an Atkins obsessive way
8. Fat people don't necessarily eat more than thin people
9. If something rots quickly, then it's good for you (Cut Apples, Avocados, Bananas), if it doesn't rot quickly then not even the bacteria like it.
10. Eating less has significantly more effect than, exercising more

Oh no, I'm beginning to sound like a diet book or magazine article. I'll stick to looking after myself and not practising what I preach, just like all the best experts and gurus.